The city that Shelly built

From the January issue: Sheldon Silver may have had just one vote, but a “no” from him carried more weight than any other politician in the state legislature. For developers, it could be the kiss of death.

The former state Assembly speaker — who was recently convicted on federal corruption charges involving $4 million in kickbacks — was one of the three most powerful men in Albany, along with the governor and Senate majority leader. (The last two Senate majority leaders were also convicted on corruption charges.)

On the heels of Silver’s downfall, experts are left to dissect his nearly 40-year track record.[more]